Sunshine and Parks
by Megwolf13
Summary: A fan-fiction where Ziva does not break down, does not have trouble sleeping, where Ziva is over Somalia.
1. Chapter 1

I have read at least a dozen fan-fics where Ziva breaks down. I am tired of reading those, so I have decided to write one where Ziva does not break down, where Ziva does not take medicine, where Ziva is completely and totally over Somalia. So, without further ado, may I present Sunshine and Parks.

* * *

It was a rare sunny day in D.C., one of those rare days that happen to be in the 50's in the middle of January that gives you hope, and then dashes those hopes when snow comes. They had just come back from Paris, and the weather was nice enough that Tony decided to educate Ziva further on American traditions by taking her to get a hotdog from the park, something he couldn't believe she hadn't tried. As they walked towards the park, they talked casually, enjoying the sunshine. As soon as they got there, the conversation changed. "So explain to me how you cannot have tried a hot dog."

Ziva looked at him like he had two heads, then replied, "Hot dogs are very greasy, and are usually not takeout. Also, I do not usually cook them when I have a chance to cook."

Tony shook his head sadly, and then said, "And now your education begins. We'll start with a Chicago hotdog, and go from there."

"How can we get a Chicago hotdog if we are in D.C.?"

"It's a type of hotdog. Look, here comes a vendor. Watch and learn from the master on how to order a hotdog."

As Tony ordered them both a Chicago hotdog, Ziva looked around at the yellow and green grass that covered the park and wondered aloud how it could be green in January. "Well Zee-vah, we had a very mild winter, so it is still pretty green. Now, here's your hotdog, come here and eat up."

As Ziva took a bite into her hotdog, she looked around, then exclaimed, "This is a very good hotdog!"

"You betcha, now eat the rest of it. Waste not, want not."

She finished it, then said, "You took me here for more than a hotdog, did you not?"

Tony looked at her, worry clear in his eyes. "I… I just want to make sure you're okay."

She smiled at him, a small smile given to children worrying needlessly. "I am fine Tony. No pills, no flashbacks, I can sleep well at night, I am over Somalia."

"Are you sure? No nightmares or monsters under the bed?"

She laughed, shaking her head at his imagination. "Perfectly fine. At this point, I am the best I have ever been."

He smiled with relief, then said, "So, you not going to go Hannibal on me?"

She looked at him questioningly, and he said, "You have never ever heard of Hannibal Lecter? Ziva, Ziva, Ziva, we must work on your movie education."  
She smiled at this, not a ghost of a smile, not a small smile, but a real smile, one of those smiles that just takes your breath away. She shook her head, then said, "You never change, do you Tony?"

He smiled, grabbed the camera that had hung around his neck and said, "Smile!"

_Snap. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Snap!_

The camera captured that perfect picture of her. A look of annoyance just crossing her face, but a smile still on it, it was a perfect combination of cute and beautiful. She shot him an annoyed look, then Gibb-slapped him. He rubbed the back of his head, but smiled right back. It was all right now. Then, he saw anther opportunity to expand her American education. "Come on Ziva! We," At this she shot him a look of pure hatred as she saw their destination he was dragging her to, "are going to a carnival."

She shook her head and said, "I hope there are no paper-clips or credit cards lying around, because if there are, you are in for it, big time."

He bowed his head meekly and replied, "I bow to the master. But, since I am the master in carnival games, Probette, then I will show you everything, both good and bad. This includes, but is not limited to, eating cotton candy until you barf, riding a roller coaster until you vomit, and/or playing the classic knock-down-the-bottle-to-win-a-huge-stuffed-animal-for-your-girlfriend."

At this last activity, she shot him a look and said, "I do not have a girlfriend or boyfriend, and you don't have a girlfriend."

"Well, then we'll just have to give them to Abby or keep them for ourselves. Now, follow me into the world of chaos, fun, and awesomeness called the Carnival."

* * *

She ate her words as they passed yet another stand selling strange objects, this one including flowery paperclips. She was laughing, and carrying a bear, while Tony was carrying a frog. He smiled and said, "So what did you say about paperclips and me regretting this experience?"

She looked at him with an evil look, and then pulled out a package of skull paperclips, perfect for Abby. "I do not think Abby will mind if I use one."

At this, Tony backed up and said, "All right, all right, just slowly and carefully put away the paperclip. Please?"

This last statement was directed towards her when she made moves towards putting it away. She sighed, then said, "All right, but no more games. I do not think that I could take another game or roller coaster. Or cotton candy stick."

She added the last statement as they passed a stand that sold only cotton candy. She did, indeed, look slightly green, and Tony quickly hustled her to his car. It was getting quite cold, and he hoped that she wasn't too cold. He drove her to her apartment, and she said, "Thank you Tony. Thank you for the hot-dog and for the carnival. But if you ever drag me to one again, I will kill you, and I will ask Abby to help me to make sure I don't leave any evidence."

He smiled, bade his good-night, and walked towards his car. As he did, he could have sworn that she was humming a tune that sounded familiar, somehow. He smiled as he recognized the main theme being played at the Carnival. He smiled at that simple theme that she hummed. It was a melody; no, it was that song that your mother sung you to sleep with, the universal song that had no name but you always recognized. He smiled, and started whistling it as he headed into his apartment.

Note- Please tell me what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, sorry it took so long to update, but my mom was on the computer for a really long time doing her homework, so this is the first time in days I've been on. Thanks so much for the reviews.

**SPOILER ALERT (DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS!)- **

Okay, so I watched Tuesday's episode, and all though then ending was totally evil (ending just before Gibbs started the kiss with the second person he had kissed who was not a redhead!), but the middle part of investigating the warehouse brought up an interesting point. Ziva is scared of becoming like Saleem. So, most would assume that was from Somalia. But, I take a different view on it. What if she always had had that fear that as an assassin, she might become a terrorist or become totally trigger-happy like Ari? The italics are from the episode, and although they are not exact, they are pretty close. So, here is the story; hope you like it, please tell me what you think.

**END OF SPOILER ALERT (NOW BEGINS THE STORY.)**

* * *

"_You're defending him?!"_

"_No, his actions were indefensible."_

"_So what are you saying?"_

"_I'm saying that I don't want to become like him."_

Finally, the case was over. His was safe, no, he was great. Now he just had to make sure there was no permanent damage to his "little ones." He was pretty sure there weren't, but you could never be sure. He looked over to Ziva. She looked tired, but that's what happened when you were up for half the night. "So how are you feeling?"

Ziva looked up from her paper-work. "I am fine Tony. Remember, we already went over this."

"Yeah, I know, but I just want to make sure. Heading home soon?"

She shot him a questioning look and said, "Yes, but why does that matter?"

"'Cause my car is in the shop, and I need a ride home."

"All right, but may have to wait a little while."

"That's all right; I have a movie to watch."

"There is a movie you have not watched?"

She sounded shocked at this statement, as if it was impossible, but her eyes were twinkling with amusement.

He shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. Ziva had that affect on people. "No. I'm watching Dragonheart."

She gave him a confused look. "Dragons are not real, and I doubt they would have hearts."

He gave her a mocking surprised look. "You've never heard of Dragonheart? Come on, 1996 starring Dennis Quaid. It was nominated for the Oscar of Best effects, won the Saturn Award for best fantasy film, was nominated for the Saturn award in best music and best special effects, won the Hollywood Digital award, and was nominated for the Golden Satellite award and Best Film award."

She shot him another confused look. "Ziva, Ziva, Ziva, you must, simply must, get a better movie education. Tell you what. You can watch it with me."

"All right Tony, but I first must finish this paperwork."

* * *

"All right, I'll admit that it was a good movie, but still, I do not think that it was the best."

"Are you kidding me? It was totally the best of all movies that came out that year!"

Ziva just shook her head sadly; to her, films were okay, but to Tony, they were a passion.

"Ziva, if I ask you a question, will you kill me?"

Ziva gave him an appraising look, then replied, "It depends on the question. So, I will hear it and I promise to give you five seconds warning before I kill you."

"Why are you scared of becoming like Saleem?"

She sighed; she had been hoping he would not bring that up. "I do not want to talk about Somalia Tony. I am fine; I do not need any help."

"I know Ziva, but you're avoiding the question."

She looked down, and for the first time, she looked reluctant to talk about something. She started playing with the blanket on the couch, hoping that her face was blank as she gathered her thoughts. "I guess I was scared for a while, and not about becoming like Saleem. Before Somalia happened, I was just scared of becoming a mindless monster." She gulped, then added, "Of becoming like Ari. Of becoming a terrorist. Of doing anything to get the mission finished. Of killing an innocent for the mission."

Tony looked at her, but not with pity. He looked at her with a smile. "Then you have nothing to be scared of. Ziva, the fact that you are scared of becoming that, that you care enough to prevent yourself from killing everyone who annoys you should tell you something."

Sensing that she was going to interrupt, he continued, saying, "That should tell you that you are not a mindless killer and will never be one."

She smiled at him, a truly beautiful smile, a smile that made the sun come out and the birds sing and poets write poems about true love. She kissed him on the cheek, then said, "Thank you Tony. Thank you for being here. Thank you for getting rid of stupid fears. Thank you… For being you."

Loppu.

Note- I will try to update every few days, and I will try to do an update for any new information from new episodes.

Loppu= End in Finnish


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took so long. But I promise (cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye, shake my bottom 'till I got'em, shake my bottom 'till I die) that my next update will be on Wednesday, Thursday at the latest. So, here you go. In other news, though in the story it is raining and in the 40's, in reality, in D.C. now, it is in the 20-30s and snowing. Hope you DC people like the weather!**

"So explain how this will help you with your tap-dancing?"

For a former-Mossad agent, Ziva was still pretty laid back, but she knew where to draw the line. "Ziva, Ziva, Ziva, it will help me with my overall dancing skills, and it will give you the chance to experience yet another memory that you did not have as a child."

For an NCIS agent, Tony was pretty reasonable and comical, but he knew when to be serious, and right now, he was in serious mode. "Dancing in the rain?"

"It'll be good for you. Please Ziva, please, please, please let me show you how much fun it is, and if you still don't agree, then I promise that I won't bother you about it again, ever. Please?"

For a grown man, Tony sure could whine. "You'd better stick to that promise then."

Ziva didn't know why she was doing this, but she did want to figure out what he saw in it, so… In for a shekel, in for a shekalim.

* * *

Ziva stared out into the rainy courtyard that was just outside her apartment. Tony had called, mentioned it was raining, and said he would be coming over. He told her to wear something she could bear to get wet, so she was wearing an old brown sweater with blue jeans. Just as she was about to call him and demand what was taking so long, she heard his car pull up. He ran up to her door, and she opened it for her. He looked at her clothes, said, "Good. Those can get wet without making you freeze to death. Ready?"

He asked this last question as he was leading her to the door that led to the courtyard. She swallowed, wondering what seemed so bad about the rain. Oh yeah. She would be getting wet. He led her just outside, to where part of the room doubled as an overhang. He looked at her, a twinkle in his eye, and suddenly she didn't mind getting wet. "Scared of a little rain Zee-vah?"

"No, but if you don't hurry up, I'll just push you into a puddle and dance around you."

"Then let's do this."

He led her out into the rain, and as soon as it touched her sweater she became cold. But a snuggly feeling enveloped her when he took her arms so he could perform a proper waltz. "You do remember how to waltz, right?"

She smiled a faint smile, and then he started dancing with no music in the middle of the pouring rain in a city full of murderers and smog with her in his arms. Her body reacted instantly to the dance, and she performed steps she only half-remembered. Tony smiled even wider saying, "See. Your body remembers, even if you don't."

She smiled even wider, and tipped her head back to try and taste the rain, wondering what it tasted like. It tasted like water, but to her, it was so much better when she was dancing with Tony. She smiled her best smile yet, a true smile full of sunshine, and Tony smiled his widest smile too. He dipped her, then continued to dance, even as the rain poured down harder. As he danced with Ziva, he had no idea that just like him, she never wanted this moment to end.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony looked up from his paperwork to observe his partner. She had just spent a day on the road in a truck, and he envied her. Spending an entire day on a truck was the best thing, right next to spending an entire day in bed… Preferably with her. He looked at her again; she seemed all right. Perhaps she was over Somalia. But another glance didn't exactly reassure his nerves. She seemed tired; perhaps he was just overreacting, or perhaps it was just from one day on the road. He looked up as McGee finally left. He smiled at Ziva. "Ready to go home?"

She smiled at him. "Just finished my paperwork. Goodnight Tony."

"'Night Ziva."

She smiled as he finally left. She knew he worried for her, and she knew that he was concerned for her and that he was a little jealous over Damon. She loved to tease him, and this was better, considering that she didn't really want to date Damon. And yet, she wanted a relationship. She was over Somalia. She remembered what Tony had said. She wanted a relationship, not just a friendship/partner relationship, but a real relationship, one with kisses and hugs, long talks and walks. She knew he ran, she knew he didn't really date anyone anymore. She knew all of this, and wanted to be that girl. His girlfriend, his lover, his somebody, his person. She wanted to be someone more than a partner or friend or someone he had to go to Africa to rescue. She just wished she had been taught on how to proceed on this.

* * *

Tony cursed himself. He cursed himself as he rolled around in his cold empty bed, his empty apartment, and as his longing heart ached. He just didn't know what to say to her. She had told him she was over Somalia, but he just couldn't help but be concerned all the time. He suspected she knew this. This is what held him away. This is what kept him from taking her out on dates, from kissing and hugging her, from inviting her over for movies. This is what kept him from doing that. This and nothing else. He would quit NCIS, screw Rule #12, and go to the ends of the earth if he could hold her in his arms, tell her how much he loved her, and become her person. Her sounding board, her confidant, and her love. He didn't know what would come of this; he knew he loved her, and he was pretty sure she liked him at least a little. But he still held back. He sighed as he tossed and turned, and promised himself to try to be there for her, and promised himself to invite her over for a movie soon.

**Tell me what you think, por favor. **


	6. Chapter 6

"So will you go with me?"

"Tony, I do not like movies with samurai and ninjas. They are silly and childish. No."

"Pleasssse?"

Ziva was about to reply when suddenly the elevator stopped. Tony flicked the start/stop switch a few times, but nothing happened. "What are the chances of someone coming back before 07:00?"

"Well, Ziva, about zero to zilch."

"Great."

With that, she sighed, looked around, plopped down onto the carpeted floor of the elevator, and started trying to figure ways out of here that did not involve sacrificing Tony. Tony slid down beside her and sat down. For a while there was a comfortable silence until Tony broke it and spoke. "So… How about the weather, ay?"

Ziva turned her head to look at him, confusion showing in her eyes. "We are stuck in an elevator for who-knows-how-long, and all you can talk about is the weather?"

"It's a phrase Ziva. It's like… It's like a conversation starter or icebreaker or…"

Ziva continued to stare at him, her eyes proclaiming confusion at strange American phrases. Tony was struck by her beauty. Her curly brown hair was hinging behind her shoulders with a few stray curls encircling her face in a cocoa-colored halo. Her eyes were pools of chocolate flecked with bits of golden sunshine, and her normally-olive skin was turned a reddish-brown under the glare of the emergency light. "Really, it's just a conversation starter, that's all."

Ziva shook her head sadly and looked around their prison. "It is a bad conversation starter."

Tony looked at her in mock horror. "But it's a classical phrase."

Ziva struggled and failed to hide a smile. "It is still is a bad conversation starter, no matter how many movies it has been in."

They sat in comfortable silence for a maybe an hour until Tony heard a soft sound. It sounded like… snoring? He glanced over and lo and behold, Ziva was asleep, her mouth slightly open as she snored. Her snores seemed to get louder as he looked at her. "Ah Ziva, you still could do a drunken sailor with emphysema proud."

The elevator started back up and it quickly dinged open into the parking lot. He glanced over at his partner, who was still sitting on the floor of the elevator. He grunted, expecting it to be difficult, but she felt as light as a feather. He started walking over to his car and as he walked, she seemed to wake up somewhat. She glanced up at the open sky as he walked. "How did I…? Never mind."

They continued in some silence, and when he glanced down to see if she was awake, he saw that she was looking up at the sky. She saw him looking at her and smiled, the one that could light up the stars. "The stars… They are so beautiful out here."

"Yes, they are. Here we go. Up and att'em Ziva."

She got up out of his arms and went over to shotgun without an argument. When he just stared at her, she smiled a mysterious smile. "I am a little tired Tony."

He shook his head, then got in and started up the car. When he arrived at her apartment, he saw that she was asleep. He gently got her out of the car and got her to the door. He felt around for her spare key, found it, and quickly unlocked the door. He took off her shoes, tucked her into bed and set her alarm. He gently kissed her on the forhead, then paused in leaving her apartment. He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"Good night Ziva. I… I… I love you."

She smiled in her sleep. He started to leave again, but stopped when he heard some words.

"Good night Tony. I love you too."

He smiled, then started whistling a _Fly Me Away_ as she drifted back to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

What do you do when you have admitted you have forbidden feelings? What do you do when you admitting them could mean you never see each other ever again? What do you do when you both feel them, these forbidden feelings that could get you separated, that could get you killed by her father, that make both of you quake with fright and feelings that neither one of you want to explore, but must in order to make this work? What do they do?

They don't talk about it immediately. They don't ignore their feelings permanently. They act normal. And they figure it out as they attempt to knock each other's lights out in the community gym.

* * *

Ziva took a swing at Tony, who dodged it and returned it with an attempt of his own. He quickly realized his mistake when she grabbed his fist mid swing, rammed it into his back, and pinned him to the ground. She smiled and said, "Yield, or I will break your arm."

"I yield."

Tony got up and rubbed his arm. He looked at her, his little ninja warrior. "You wouldn't really break my arm, would you?"

She smiled at him, her little secret special smile. "Probably not, but I would have made you regret not yielding."

He smiled at her and motioned towards a bench. "We need to talk."

She looked at him with a tired glance, wondering if she would regret this. She sighed. She probably would, but she had to, because they had both said those words, and they were both adults, so they would both talk about it and figure this out. They went over and sat on the bench. Tony put his head in his hands for a moment, then sighed. He looked at her with a face she had never seen before. He took her hands in his and sighed again. "I love you Ziva. Don't ask me when I first realized it, and please don't ask me when I actually started feeling this, because I have no idea. Did you mean your words?"

She looked down at his hands, noting he had a few scars on them. She looked up at him, took a deep breath and answered. "Yes, I meant those words. I… I do love you."

She looked at his face, and hurriedly continued before he could say something else that made her heart race, her head feel light and made her feel that she was floating in the sky. "But Tony, I am not an easy woman to love. My father… I do not care what he says, but if he ever found out about it, he… he would probably attempt to kill you."

He looked like he was going to say something, so she quickly finished. "And then there is Gibbs and Abby and McGee, and Rule 12 and… I do not care what they think, but I do not think that I could stand it if we had to leave each other."

Tony looked at her, smiling his nice smile. "I can deal with that. I'm not an easy man to love either. Your dad would probably try to kill me, but I will just… Figure it out somehow. As for Rule 12, well, we'll just keep it out of the office. If Gibbs finds out, then we will continue if we want to, and still continue to keep it out of the office, no matter what he says. The only snare I can really see right now is keeping Abby from exploding from excitement, and Probie can probably figure out how to. We'll just deal with McGee's superior attitude by doing something like dying his hair pink."

She smiled a slight smile, then frowned. "But, if Vance separates us?"

"Then we will continue our relationship somehow, someway, even if we have to have dates by web-cams."

"Now, how about you helping me up so I can take you to the movies?"

Ziva smiled, complied, then took his hand. They walked out of the gym, and as they were getting into the car Tony said, "You know, if me losing makes you talk, then we I should lose more often."

Ziva gave him a Gibbs' slap and glared at him. "You lose everytime!"


	8. Chapter 8

Ziva looked out at the sunny Saturday morning and wondered what she should do. Just as she thought that, a knock called her to the door. She looked through the peephole at her current boyfriend. She opened the door. "Yes, Tony?"

He smiled and produced a bouquet of red roses. She looked at them, then at him. She smiled and took them. "How did you know they were my favorite?"

He smiled at her again, his true smile. "Well… I kind of… um… never mind."

She raised her eyebrows. "Did you by chance look in my file?"

He looked at her, embarrassed but happy. "I had to find out some way."

She shook her head happily. He looked behind him for a moment. "Look, Ziva, it's a really nice day..."

He took a deep breath, then continued in a rush. "Do you want to go out to the park for a picnic with me?"

She smiled again, thinking this must be a new record for smiles before noon. "Sure. Right now?"

"Yep."

And with that, he gently grabbed her arm, closed the door behind her, and guided her to his car. He opened the shotgun seat, she got in, and they were off. Her smile faded as he missed the park that was just four blocks from her apartment. "Tony?"

"You see Ziva, I'm not going to that park. I'm going to another one."

She looked at him curiously. "Which one?"

They pulled into a park that had… a concert going on? He turned his head to look at her. "This one."

She looked at him, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Did you just ask me out on a date?"

"Well of course. I just wasn't sure if you would be okay with a concert, so I improvised."

"The picnic?"

He pulled a wicker basket out of the backseat along with a red-and-white checkered tablecloth. "Right here."

They got out, and he took her hand in one hand and the basket in the other. The tablecloth was flung over one shoulder. She smiled as the warm sun hit her face and a light breeze played with her hair. It was like something out of a story, something that shouldn't be possible in real life, but was. He showed a man their tickets, and the man directed them to the middle of the park, right in front of the stage, but not directly in the first row. He smiled at her again, (her thoughts wandered towards the fact that this must be a record smile-breaker for both of them), and put the tablecloth down. He patted it out flat, gently drew her down next to her, and started getting the picnic food out. By the time it was set up and they were both starting to enjoy their food, the concert started and they were surrounded by people. The MC shouted, "Now, let's have a loud round of applause for Train!"

They applauded obligingly, and Ziva shot a confused look at Tony. "Train?"

"It's a band Ziva. They're really good, just listed to them."

The lead singer got up in the front of the microphone and said, "We're going to start out with Hey, Soul Sister, okay?"

He opened his mouths and started singing. Everyone else got up and started dancing, and Tony was no exception. Their picnic done, when the singer had gotten up, he had picked up their food and put it away. "Would you like to dance, my lady?"

"Of course."

And they started to dance to the music.

_Hey Hey Hey _

_Your lipstick stains _

_On the front lobe of my _

_Left-side brains_

_I knew I wouldn't forget you_

_And so I went and let you_

_Blow my mind_

_Your sweet moonbeam, the smell of you in_

_Every single dream I dream_

_I knew when we collided, you're the one I have decided_

_Who's one of my kind_

She laughed out of happiness as the chorus started, and Tony smiled at her and sung along.

_Hey soul sister_

_Ain't that Mr. Mister_

_On the radio, stereo_

_The way you move ain't fair you know!_

_Hey soul sister_

_I don't wanna miss a single thing you do_

_Tonight._

_Hey Hey Hey_

And she danced as he continued singing, and she sung along, wondering (and hoping against) if this was a dream. If it was, it was the best one she had ever had, and if it wasn't… Well, then she was going to be a very happy person tomorrow.

**Okay, so this the second-to last one. The last one is next. Tell me what you think please.**

**P.S. Real song- Hey, Soul Sister by Train. It was on the Samsung 3-D TV Commercial; you might have heard it from there. **


	9. Chapter 9

From that first day they had met, from the first words spoken, to now, they were different. The road that led them to this day was so long. It was a little smoother at the beginning, but in the middle, potholes and construction blocked nearly all of the way. But they could still see it at the end of the road, a light at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

Abby came running into the bullpen. "Has he asked her yet?"

McGee looked up from his computer, his voice a light reproach. "Abby, do you really think he would call just before-"

His sentence cut short by a phone ringing, Abby answered her cell. "Yes?"

She took in a deep breath, her face lighting up in a smile. She shouted to the heavens with all her might, "Yes! He asked her and she said yes and YES!"

She squealed a happy squeal, grabbed McGee, and started dancing around the bullpen, her pigtails swinging from side to side. "Tony and Ziva are getting married!"

She kissed a very surprised McGee on the mouth, then ran down to autopsy, shouting as she went for McGee to start grabbing wedding magazines. But all McGee could do was touch his hand to his lips and wonder if Abby was high on giddiness or something.

* * *

"Ready?"

Ziva turned around, her necklace now secure around her neck. She smiled at Gibbs, the man who was so much like a father, no, was a father to her, and replied, "Yes."

With that, Gibbs took her hand and started walking her down the aisle.

* * *

Ziva shouted in pain, and squeezed the Tony's hand. He shouted, "It'll be over soon Ziva, really!"

"And push, push, and there!"

Ziva collapsed onto the bed, sweat coloring her brow. Tony wiped it off and laid a cool hand on her cheek. "It's a girl!"

"Congratulations."

This came from the nurse. She came bearing a cup of ice for Ziva and an ice-pack for Tony's hand. He smiled, thanked her, and turned to the baby girl who Ziva was cuddling. "So, her name is Tali."

This was not a question, but a statement.

She smiled at him, her husband and partner. "Tali Caitlin DiNozzo."

Tony smiled, then said, "She's perfect."

* * *

"Ready?"

A glare directed towards him was accompanied by, "Daddy, it's just trick-or-treating. It's **easy**."

He smiled at his youngest child, Jenny. "All right. Ziva, she's ready!"

"Good. You look very nice."  
"Really mommy?"

This came from the middle child, Duck.

"Yes Duck. You too, Tali."

They smiled, all three. She shot a tired smile at Tony, so he just had to say, "Follow the yellow-brick road!"  
They all laughed at this, and set off for Tim's and Abby's house to (as Tony put it) double treat.

**So, I didn't want to make it too cheesy or a cliché, but I couldn't resist either Halloween or old people in rocking chairs. So, Halloween it is! How's the ending?**


End file.
